Welcome to the 1,182nd edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
In between the drinking and carousing at last weekend's EVE
Online FanFest, I began to realize that there's one big thing that
separates the average EVE player from other MMOs. And that's not that
the average player is about 28 and of above-average intelligence, or
that a female EVE account holder is almost a statistical impossibility.
Rather, the average EVE player believes that EVE Online is their game
at least as much as it is CCP's. Better yet, CCP has done nothing to
discourage this belief. We'll look at how the many lessons of EVE can
apply to a newly niche-driven MMO category in Loading...
Whose Game Is It, Anyway?
width="100%">
The Pulse
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"
target="_blank">World of Warcraft
Dungeons
& Dragons Online
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">Aion
(UP 1)
EverQuest
2 (UP 1)
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
Conan (UP 2)
Biggest movers this past week:
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/117">Star
Trek Online (up 29 to #11)
L
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro">ord of the Rings
Online (UP 2 to #6)
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1234">Runes
of Magic (UP 2 to #15)
Recent
MMO Releases
8/25
-
CrimeCraft
(release date)
9/1 -
Champions
Online (release date)
9/9
-
Dungeons
& Dragons Online Unlimited (release date)
9/15
-
Runes
of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion)
9/22 -
Fallen
Earth (release date)
9/22
-
Aion
(release date)
10/8
-
Cities
XL (release date)
Upcoming
Releases
12/1
- LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood
12/2
-
DOFUS 2.0
(release date)
Early 2010
-
APB
Important
Dates
10/23 - 10/24
-
Hero-Con
Loading... is
brought to you today by Runes of Magic.
href="http://affiliate.account.frogster-america.com/tentonhammerus/ROM-US/en/">Click
here to explore the best free-to-play MMORPG - Runes of
Magic:
The Elven Prophecy. Join now and create the ultimate fantasy hero.
Loading... Daily
Perhaps the most memorable single quote from this year's FanFest 2009
came during the audience Q&A portion of the Alliance Leaders
panel when Darius Johnson, ex-CEO of GoonSwarm, was asked if GoonSwarm
was trying to break the game. He tagged his reponse with something
almost Mission Statement worthy: "We're not trying to break the
game, we're trying to break your game."
We won't look into the heady post-modernist consequences here or try to
unpack its simple yet insidious justification of griefing. What's
significant about the statement, to me, is that Goons in particular and
EVE Online players in general identify with their game in a way that
most gamers don't. EVE Online is what they make of EVE Online,
and no one believes that EVE is "fair." It's incumbent on CCP
to support what players want to do and provide new and interesting
things to do, but CCP isn't looked at as a referee or a Santa Claus
figure. It's enough that everyone has to play by the same rules, and if
you artificially limit yourself so as not to break "your game", you'd
better match your experience to your playstyle. Otherwise someone else
might break your game for you.
Consequently, EVE Online is popularly viewed as a sterile game where
"there's no right or wrong, just different kinds of profits to be
made." Negative external consequences will sometimes play a factor, but
not as often as you might expect. For example, CCP openly adores the
influx of press they get when this or that e-bank becomes corrupt and
steals 20 billion from naïve players. It sucks for the investors, of
course, but the popular moralist attitude is that if you get taken in
Monopoly money, maybe you'll think twice about shady investments in
real life.
It's also telling that the most significant advance coming to the new
player experience in the game's next expansion, Dominion, revolves
around dying. That's right - the game is going to unfairly,
assymetically, and ruthlessly destroy your ship. The takeaway? You are
not your ship, and dying happens in EVE, a lot. Far better to fly
something you can afford to lose, keep your insurance paid up and your
clones up-to-date, and save your best stuff for special occasions only.
Despite the game's reputation for difficulty and it's hardcore bent, I
argued in our most
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75094/page/4">recent
accessibility article that EVE Online is actually one of the
more accessible MMOs I've played, if for no other reason than the fact
that you can get a taste of the endgame on your very first day of
playing (given the right charisma and/or connections). Epic mission
arcs and factional warfare allow EVE to be played on a fairly casual
basis as well. Participation in large-scale warfare is the endgame
here, and with the sovereignty changes coming in Dominion, it's going
to be possible to claim space even as a relatively small alliance.
It's this kind of "all games to all people" approach that continues to
make EVE a successful game. The relatively low asset demands of making
a good-looking space game allowed CCP to create a huge single shard
game that's increasingly playable on a variety of levels and delivers
the only experience of its kind, period. In concert with yesterday's
Loading..., I agree that if the MMO category is going to be saved, it
will be by community-focused niche games that do something truly new,
rather than a so-called "WoW killer." WoW killers come loaded
with investor expectations; they're investors' games, rather than
players' games.
Quality niche MMOs like EVE take a long time to evolve though, which is
why I think we're done looking at MMOs through the superficial review
categories that are traditionally applied to games. It's much more
important that a game have "good bones" - that the experience is new
and compelling and has plenty of social "hooks" that we can hang our
coat on and stay a while - than that it boasts stunning new graphics
and visceral gameplay. Not to say that eye and ear candy aren't
important, but it's not what makes an MMO ultimately worth playing.
Is it impossible to make a slow evolving "players' game" impossible, or
do only MMOs that go after mass market appeal have a chance of success?
Have your say in the Loading... forums.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=575">Champions
Online News, Articles & Guides Forum
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46913">Editorial
- "Reviewing Responsibly"
Bill "JoBildo" Murphy's
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75241">editorial
about MMOG reviewing ethics stirred up some decent conversation in our
Champions Online forum today. He asks, "Should the media be scoring
MMOGs on launch day?" When is the best time for a MMOG review? How
should MMOGs, which are constantly changing, be reviewed and
scored?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=575">Talk
it up!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"
I think the first
review should
come well before 3 months in. I understand that MMORPGs can change
drastically over time because of patches and content updates. But, keep
in mind that so do games of all genres. Team Fortress 2, for example,
is nothing like it was when it released. Is it fair to say that all
reviews of that game are incorrect because of its current state? I
suppose one could argue no simply because TF2 was received well
initially."
- AlexTaldren
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
8 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 41
in October! 1,089 in
2009!
Today's New Interviews and Features
EVE Online
Video
Q&A with GoonSwarm Spymaster 'The Mittani'
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75310
The Mittani is no stranger to Ten Ton Hammer, having written almost 30
installments of his massively popular glimpses into hardcore EVE Online
gaming with Sins of a Solar Spymaster. There was almost universal
shock, however, when this nexus of spaceship game intrigue turned out
to be a mild-mannered individual whose self-described "metrosexuality"
was made manifest in some fashionable designer frames. The Mittani will
share his thoughts on FanFest and the upcoming Dominion expansion, as
well as a little background on how he got started doing what he does in
EVE Online.
Windows 7, Gaming, and Why You Should Care
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75303">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75303
October
22, 2009 is almost here and with it, the official release of Windows 7.
Gamers are a tight knit community that always makes their voices heard
when it comes to their computing needs. With the pain and suffering
inflicted by Vista fresh in the minds of millions, Microsoft needs to
hit a home run to have any chance of winning those hearts back.
EVE Online
Editorial -
Sins of a Solar Spymaster #29 - How to Party the Right Way at FanFest
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75299"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75299">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75299
Back from EVE FanFest 2009, The Mittani has a few tips for fans that
may be thinking of making the trip themselves next year. From flight
prep to picking up women at the bar, be prepared for it all. If you do
make the trip out yourself, remember the key component: showers are not
optional. Take one, and don't be that guy...
Video: EVE Online "Dominion" Expansion Features
& CCP's Post-Dominion Wishlist
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75312">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75312
CCP
Developers Torfi Frans Ólafsson, Noah "CCP Hammerhead" Ward, and Nathan
"Oveur" Richardsson tout the next wave of changes for EVE Online with
December's Dominion expansion, and look ahead to New Eden's many
surprising improvements to the game. Also included is CCP's wishlist
for the near future of EVE Online, including combat-enhancing
formations and formal treaties. Have a look at our latest
compilation
of Dominion Expansion and Post Dominion videos from EVE FanFest 2009.
style="font-weight: bold;">
style="font-weight: bold;">
Guides
Aion:
Chieftain Kumbaron
Boss Guide
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75237"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75237">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75237
Looking to get ahead so you can survive that rifting group as you climb
the levels of Aion? We'll help you toughen up with some serious gear as
we show you the ropes on how to tackle Chieftain Kumbaron, the first
good loot farming opportunity for the Asmodeans! From spawn times to
the first pull, we've got him covered, so you can get covered in those
sexy blues you dream of.
Opinions, Editorials...
Editorial -
Moving the
Genre Forward - A Look at Innovative Game Mechanics
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75294">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75294
Over
the years, the MMOG genre has evolved new mechanics, such as housing,
flight, and advances to combat. While We often hotly debate whether
these mechanics are good or bad for a game, few can deny their
benefits. Martuk explores the virtues and vices of MMOG innovations in
this editorial.
Is Space The
Final
Frontier? A Look at the Upcoming Changes in the MMOG Landscape
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75291">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75291
For
the past decade most adventuring in MMOGs has been relegated
to swords
and sorcery, knights and maidens, orcs and humans. With few exceptions,
each new MMOG seems like a slightly modified take on the last one. The
next year promises to shake up the scene with the release of several
anticipated sci-fi and space based titles. Will this resurgence of
non-wizarding worlds give rise to a new era of gaming, or will we
simply be playing the same basic game with a new skin and trading our
spells for laser cannons? Join Medawky this week as he looks into the
future to see what may be in store for us in the final
frontier.
style="font-weight: bold;">
Champions
Online: Are
holiday themed events in MMOGs good or a waste of resources?
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/editorial/holidayevents">
http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/editorial/holidayevents
Holiday
themed events have become a staple in MMOGs in recent years, but can
new games, such as Champions Online, afford to divert the resources
that can be used to create permanent content to make seasonal content?
Ten Ton Hammers intrepid man of mystery, Mattlow, is here to explore
this important
Hottest Content:
style="font-weight: bold;">EVE Online Video
Q&A with GoonSwarm Spymaster 'The Mittani'
Windows
7, Gaming, and Why You Should Care
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75303">
EVE
Fanfest 2009 - DUST 514 Overview
and Gameplay Video
Ease
of Access - Case Studies
in Accessibility and Popularity
Editorial
- Moving the
Genre Forward - A Look at Innovative Game Mechanics
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75294">
Goonswarm's
Darius Johnson at the EVE Alliance Panel
style="font-weight: bold;">Fallen Earth - First
Impressions
Video:
EVE Online: Dominion Expansion Features
& CCP's Post-Dominion Wishlist
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75312">
Phasers
Set to Beta - Star Trek
Online's Craig Zinkievich Q&A
style="font-weight: bold;">Aion - Exclusive
Heiron Zone Tour Video
Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer
team